Car-coupling



(No model) v F. G. ARTER & J. C. BLOUHER].

/7//////A V// 5 W% NY PETERS, PHOTGLflHGRAFHEIR, WASHINGTON, D C.

UNIT D STATES PATENT @FFICE.

FRANCIS G. ARTER AND JOHN G. BLOGHER, OF LIMA, OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,325, dated March 1,1881.

Application filed January 15, 1881.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, FRANCIS G. ARTER, and J OHN G. BLOOHER, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Lima, in the county ofAllen and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsin (Jar-Couplers;and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-couplings and the object ofour invention is to so construct and shape the interior of the mouth ofthe draw-head of a car-coupler as to perfectly adaptit to admit ofcertain requisite movements of the inner end of the couplinglink whenthe latter is adjusted by a link-supporting tongue, and to providecertain other features of improvement specially adapted to overcomeobjections that have hitherto existed in using link-supporting tongues.

WVe will now proceed to describe the construction and arrangement of theseveral features of {our invention and explain their operation, and thenwill designate the same in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a vertical lon gitudinalsection ofa car-coupler. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of same. Fig. 3 is a sideview of the draw-head. Fig. 4 is a front View of same. Fig. 5 is aperspective of the link-supporter.

The letter A designates the draw-head or buffer, and B its neck orshank, which is connected with the car in the usual or any wellknownmanner. An ordinary coupling-link, (l, and pin D are used.

E designates the link-supporting tongue, which serves to lift andsustain the link, as shown in Fig. 1, and guide it when coupling. Thetongue is provided with an eye, by which it is attached to its shaft,which extends in a horizontal direction from side to side. Incrosssection the shape of the eye is circular for about three-quartersof its size and straight for the remaining quarter. The part a of thetongue, which constitutes the exterior of the in the sides of thedraw-head.

(No model.)

shaft-eye, is rounded or partly cylindrical, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5,and the lower side of the interior of the mouth of the draw-head isprovided with a groove, flcxtending crosswise, serving as a seat orhearing, in which the cylindrical part a of the tongue rests, andwherein it turns as the front of the tongue is raised or lowered. Thisconstruction is of importance, since thereby none of the strain,pressure, or weight caused by the coupling-link falls on the rock-shaft,which passes through the eye of the tongue. The said shaft, therefore,will never become bent, and will always be easily turned, serving merelyas a means to raise or lower the tongue.

The rock-shaft F has a flattened side, a, extending from end to end,which in width is equal to about one-quarter of its circumference. Itwill be seen the flattened side of the rockshaft fits the correspondingpart of the'eye of the tongue and prevents the latter from turning onthe shaft, while the three-quartersrounded part of the/shaft fits withinthe holes These holes (which are not shown in the drawings) are slightlyoblong instead of accurately round, the long part being in a verticaldirection. The object of this is to preventthe ends of the rockshaftfrom bearing within the holes, leaving allpressure of the coupling-linkto come on the tongue, the cylindrical part of which sets in the groove19, as before stated. Thus our device is both practical and cheap. Itwill be seen the front or raising end of the tongue does not projectfully to the mouth of the draw head, but is recessed or wholly within,and is protected thereby from accidental breakage. One or both ends ofthe shaft are provided with a detachable head, b, which slips over theend of the shaft after the latter has been passed through thedraw-head.The head I) has an eye, with which a hand-rod,G, is connected by oneend, the other end of the rod being adapted to hang down and swingfreely, or to be extended horizontally, and thus serves to raise thetongue and support the coupling-link, enabling the person, by graspingthe hand-rod, to stand outside of the track while coupling, and therebyavoid the risk of injury which is attended by going between the cars.

By providing at each side of the draw-head or buffer ahori-zontally-projecting lug, c, the hand-rod G may be extended andraised upward, and from the position indicated by dottedlinesin Fig. 3,(whereat the tongue is down,) turned upward and back to the positionshown in same figure, and rest behind the lug 0, and thus the hand-rodand Lug will sustain the coup ling-link at the ordinajfy height suitedfor effecting a coupling. The concussion or jar which is occasioned bythe bumping of the cars will cause the raised hand-rod to topple over,and thus allow the tongue to fall.

In order to support the coupling-pin at an elevated position to admitinto the mouth of the draw-head the coupling-link of an oppositedraw-head, we provide a notch, a, which extends about three-fourths ofthe way around the coupling-pin holethat is, on its front and two sides.When the cars come together the concussion will cause the pin to dropand pass through the link.

When coupling it isnecessary to hold the extended end of thecoupling-link in a direction straight forward, so that it will enter themouth of the opposite draw-head. This is effected by providing each sideof the tongueE with a raised edge, d, which slopes down toward thecenter of the tongue. If the end of the coupling-link be turned a littleto one side when the tongue is brought up against it, the raised slopingedge of the tongue will cause the link to slide to the center of thetongue, and thus point the link straight forward.

While tongues to support and adjust the coupling-link have heretoforebeen shown and described in patents, no such device has yet foundacceptance with railroad managers, and consequently none are inpractical use, which we attribute to the fact that thedevices werecrude'and impracticable, and that proper provision has not been made forcertain requisite movements of the inner end of the couplinglink.

By reference to Fig. l of the drawings, it will be seen we have socontrived the interior shape of the mouth of the draw-head that thehighest part of the tongnethe rounded part over the eye through whichthe rock-shaft passesforms a bearing, 0, on which the coupling-link mayrest. Both in front of and behind this lower bearing the interior of thedraw-head is lower than the bearing.

The letter g designates the lower. space within the draw-head behind thelower hearing, 0. Upon the interior upper side of the draw-head is adownward-projecting point, f, which extends in a horizontal linecrosswise of the draw-head. From this point f the roof or upper side ofthe draw-head extends upward in front and behind in a straight line,forming in front a flaring mouth and behind an upward-extending space,h, corresponding IO the space gbelow. From the highest point of theupper space, h, to the lowest point of the lower space, g, the rear wallof the interior is in the form of a curve-,1. The point'f, projectingdownward, forms an upper bearing for the coupling-link, which, inpractice, is about one and a quarter inch back from the lower bearing,6, and is in front of the coupling-pin.

When the tongue is raised by turning the hand-rod the coupling-link islifted, and its upper side rests against the upper bearing, f, while theinner end of the link may move vertically in the direction of an arc ofa circle to an extent which is limited only by the size of the rearspaces, g h. This provision for the movement of the inner end of thecouplinglink with the upper bearin g, f, to hold the link down to thetongue enables the latter to adjust and control the outer or extendedend of the link in the most perfect manner, and thereby ourlink-supporting tongue becomes a practically operative device, free ofthe objections which hitherto existed.

Having described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States- 1. In a car-coupling, the combination of arock-shaft extending horizontally through the draw-head with its endsprojecting at each side, a link-supporting tongue in the mouth of thedraw-head, and a hand-rod, Gr, movably secured to the end of therock-shaft, whereby the hand-rod may hang down and swing freely or beextended horizontally in a line direct with the axis of the rock-shaft,as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a car-coupler having a link-supporting tongue, the combination,With the draw-head,

of a horizontally-projecting lug, 0, at eitherside and a hand-rodattached to the ends of the rock-shaft, adapted, when resting behind thelug, to sustain the coupling-link, as set forth.

3. The improved link-supporting tongue for a car-coupling, having ateach of two sides a raised edge, d, which slopes down toward the centerof the tongue, as set forth.

4. In a car-coupler, the combination, within the mouth of the draw-head,of a tongue, E, to lift and sustain the coupling-link, an upper bearing,f, projecting down from the roof of the mouth, extending crosswisethereof, and located back from the tongue, and a couplingpin hole backof both tongue and bearing, as set forth.

5. In a car-coupler, the combination ofa linksupporting tongue having onits under side a rounded pivotal bearing, a, and the draw-head having acorresponding-shaped groove, 1;, in which the rounded part rests, as setforth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANCIS Gr. ARTER. JOHN G. BLOOHER.

Witnesses:

ALBERT OSBORN, WM. M. BELL.

IIO

